


Furniture

by Thrasirshall



Series: The ShinRa One Shots. [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-09
Updated: 2013-05-09
Packaged: 2017-12-10 22:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/790920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thrasirshall/pseuds/Thrasirshall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rufus used to do his homework in Veld's office when he was little.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Furniture

When Rufus started to hang out in Veld’s office, no one questioned it. There were a few sympathetic gazes towards both, but only when they were sure it was safe to do so.

Veld didn’t mind one bit. Rufus was quiet, did his homework, sometimes studied, and basically just wanted to be _there_. He only let Veld help him when the Director offered it, and they’d sit together at the coffee table – a little picture of amusement as the two would sit on the floor.

But truthfully, even if Rufus was none of those things and acted like an eight year old _should_ , Veld still wouldn’t have minded.

It was a number of weeks that this continued, and the times when Veld wasn’t in his office, Rufus would be in the Turk’s main headquarters with the others. They didn’t mind either, and sometimes the blond boy found himself at a loss (and a little bit amused) when a mathematical equation would be baffling between four assassins. 

When Rufus was particularly bad though, and didn’t want the slight crazy-goings on that was the Turk’s breakroom –

(Apparently, they kept chemicals for bombs in the fridge, as Rufus discovered once when one of the Turks nearly had a heart attack and dived to shield him when he opened what he _thought_ was a drink… after that, they always got him one instead), he would ask if he could stay in Veld’s office.

Again, no one questioned it. Not even when he sometimes fell asleep on the couch and woke up in the car on the way home, blinking sleepily.

What did bother the Turks was that he just wouldn’t… _talk_.

But one morning, close to his ninth birthday, Rufus did.

“… Veld?”

“Yes Rufus?” The Director glanced up curiously, _knowing_ for the past while that the boy had wanted to speak up.

“Does…” the boy turned the pencil between two small fingers nervously, before changing his mind, “... never mind. I apologise for the interruption.”

Veld put his own writing utensil down and folded his fingers. Veld didn’t wear his gloves in the office. It was almost like a warning light. When Rufus saw Veld without his gloves – it meant safety.

When his gloves were _on_ , it meant danger, and he should listen to Veld and do exactly as he’s told.

“It’s all right. What did you want to ask?”

Rufus considered his questions.

Sometimes, Rufus wished Veld was his real father. 

Sometimes, Rufus wished it had been his father ( _Sir_ , _Mr. President, President ShinRa_ ) that had been shot, and not his mother ( _Mom… ‘mother’ was for old people_ )

Sometimes, he even wished it had been _him_ that was shot because he was _not a good son_.

Good sons were not ignored, or slapped aside like a chair in the way. Good sons didn’t have nightmares about gunfire or blood. Good sons didn’t _get in the way_.

But Rufus would never say such things, because Rufus knew everyone would get angry with him. Veld wouldn’t want such a horrible son to think such things anyway. Veld deserved _better_.

Veld, who was sitting and waiting patiently for Rufus to finally speak.

 “Does… it ever get better?” the boy asked quietly, and Veld knew exactly what he meant.

 “You learn to live with it, even if it’s very difficult.” Veld answered, because the man was honest with Rufus, regardless of his age. A Turk's job was to lie and keep secrets, but Rufus found them to be the most honest.

Rufus put his pencil down, but not quite mimicking Veld, “Could you teach me?”

Veld exhaled through his nose, half smiling as he pressed his forehead to his fingers a moment. Then he studied Rufus for a moment, seeing only the inherited ShinRa blue eyes and nothing else.

“I can help.”

It was enough for Rufus, because promises were sometimes too frail, and honesty was best even when it hurt.

After all, Veld didn’t treat him like a piece of furniture.

**Author's Note:**

> A very, very quick headcanon drabble that I'm pretty sure has many mistakes, and will.... proooobably become part of a much bigger picture I'm trying to construct. 
> 
> I'm also a huge softie when it comes to having Veld as a surrogate father for not just the Turks, but Rufus as well. Still figuring out how to make that work for Before Crisis later.
> 
> To recap: I have Rufus' mother as Dominique (Cross) Mikado from the old Square game "The Bouncer" - and her first actual appearance is in 'A Tower Playground', so she's obviously not mine.


End file.
